Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-07

interstate commerce bill than any man that has
yet spoken. He says to the people of California
that whereas the voluntary rates of transporta-
ton were such that ocean competition being
met at San Francisco, brass goods could be sold
in this State for 10 per cent less than they could
be bought for in New York, he rejoices that the
people of California viii no longer be able to
avail themselves of the advantages of these low
rates.
The principle of meeting ocean competition
by performing greater service for a less COM
pensation upon overland lines of transportation
had done much to benefit our people 1t had
brought to us the goods we consumed, at the
lowest rate. 1t had carried from us the produc-
tons of our soil and climate and introduced
them into the Eastern markets, at the most ia
vorable rates Mr.. Garrett and his compeers
complain that surplus stocks are worked off
here. What is the situation concerning our
fruits? We have large surplus of fruit. We
send this surplus to Chicago, to Denver, to Phil
adelphia and New York, in competition with
the products of the orchards of those localities,
and sell the same for whatever price we can get
Voluntary adjustment of freight rates to meet
competition enables us to do this The orchard
list of the East has exactly the same right to
complain that the products OF California are de-
livered at cheap rates in Chicago or New York,
that Mr.. Garrett and his compeers have that
surplus stocks favored by low rates of transporta-
ton for long distances are delivered at cheap
rates to the people of California, in competition
with home manufactures. In short, if Mr. Gar
rett is right, then the Constitution of the United
State in prohibiting the erection of tariff bar
rers at State lines against the products of other
States, and for the purpose of fostering and pro-
tecting the domestic manufactures of the States
establishing the barrier, is all wrong.
Mr.. A. 5. Hallidie in the same publication is
made to say take all the trades into consider
alton. Instead of employing $1,000 to $4,000
persons, we would have under full operation of
the law $4,000, and instead of u population of
1000, we would have COO co.," We have heard
something like this before from the mouths of
those who are strong advocates of high protec-
ton. Here is a manufacturer in San Francisco
who declares that the population of the city
under the operation of protection against the
people of the United States, would be 6OOOOO.
and he claims to have found this protection in
the interstate commerce law, for he proceeds to
say 1T is a great mistake to suspend Section
of the new law, and i'll pointing out the error
your paper has done our manufacturers as well
as the people at large a great service" Thus Mr..
Hallidie finds in the fourth section of the inter
state commerce law high protective tariff for
of the United States-that is, the process of pro-
lection by which the manufacturers of Califor-
mia can charge the people of this State more
than is now charged for their wares. 1t has
been said that all men are protectionists when
I,o;r 4, .o;,.
objects of protection, and that all men are free
traders with respect to the things they pur-
chase. Mr.. Hallidie is an illustration of this
saying. 1t evidently occurred TO his mind that
protection against the Eastern States in his par
ticular line of business should begin and end
with that line of business, and that there
should be no retaliatory protection as against
California products. With this thought in his
mind he proceeds to say
'In special cases, like that of the shipment of
fruit the clause could be suspended with Justice
by which. if Mr.. Hallidie understands himself,
he means to say
1.-THE fourth section of the bill should be sus-
pended in our interests and against the inter
ests of the Eastern fruit-grower; and it should
De maintained in our interest, and against the
interests of the Eastern manufacturer"
Messrs. Whittier, Fuller & Co. gave reasons
which are identical with all the reasoning that
has ever been employed in support of high
protective tariff between the different portions
of the world. Their reasons were given in a
very terse and pointed manner They declared
that they were in favor of the fourth clause of
the interstate commerce bill because manu-
featured paint is brought here from the East
and put in competition with the home manu-
featured article at cheaper rates than are
charged to the home manufacturers for bring
ing raw material here from Colorado.
The rate from st. Louis" say Messrs Whit
tier, Fuller & Co., on manufactured paint has
been as low as 90 cents per 100 pounds, while
from the mines at Pueblo Col, the lowest rate
on pig lead was 81 per 100 pounds"
Herein is a suggestion of system of inter-
state protection. To eyactly satisfy the de-
mands of manufacturers in San Francisco, a
low rate should be given upon all raw materials,
and high rate should be placed upon the
wares manufactured from those materials that,
in short, railroad companies should exercise
sovereign power over commerce and manu-
factnres, and should determine where manu-
features should flourish and where they should
decline.
Judged by their expressions, if left to them
selves, these manufacturers would have a
freight tariff perform for them the very office
against American competition which the ma
tional tariff performs for all the manufacturers
in the United States against foreign competi-
ton. They would so adjust the freight tariffs
that cost of the raw material used in the manu.
facture of wares would be low and the price of
the wares themselves be high, thus enlarging
the margin Of profit in their favor. What they
would ask for themselves they would not accord
to others. They have no desire that the wool.
the wine, the raisins or the fruits of California
should be placed at the slightest disadvantage
in the Eastern markets. What they have plainly
indicated by their professions and Their express
sions is that they would have the long and short
haul clause suspended in favor of the raw pro-
ducts of California but would have it extended
and intensified if possible in favor of the manu-
facturers. Herein the vice of the whole system
becomes apparent The desire which animates
these manufacturers is shared by the wool
grower OF Ohio against the wool-grower of Cali
fornia, by the wine-producer of Cincinnati
against the wine-producer of California, by the
orchardists of all the Eastern States against
the orchardists of California aud these things
reveal clearly the character of the policy which
has been inaugurated by the Congress of the
United States in the enactment of the interstate
commerce bill. Before it has been in operation
sixty days its protective features have been dis
covered, and have been regarded as a blessing
by the manufacturers and producers of the diff |
ferent sections of the country. With the assem-
bling of the next session Of Congress contest |
win be Immediately begun for its repeal, its |
amendment or its modification. Every interest |
in the United States which has received injury |
by it will be in favor of its repeal. Every inter
est which has found in it the corollary of pro-
tective policy as against other portions of the |
country, will be in favor not only of its reten-
ton upon the statute book, but also in favor of
energizing its protective features. The amend. |
ments then proposed will reveal still more
clearly the underlying principles of this new
and dangerous policy. Stripped of all the |
sophistry which has attended its discussion, di-
vested of all its technical obscurity it is suscep
tble only of this simple Interpretation, to wit
the Congress of the United States has passed a
bill which in its very nature raises the rates of
TRANSPORTATION between places remote from each
other: that the design of the bill was to raise